Halitosis or most commonly bad breath is the result of contamination of the tongue by mostly anaerobic bacteria. When left on the tongue the anaerobic respiration of those bacteria can yield a plurality of bad smells. In order to fight malodour from the tongue it is necessary to clean the bacteria from the tongue. Mints, mouth sprays, mouth wash or gum usually only provide temporary relief as the tongue surface is very rough and the bacteria can hide in the pits and fissures. In order to provide a better cleaning tongue cleaners often also denoted as tongue scrapers are known for collecting and removing the bacterial coating of the tongue. Ergonomic tongue cleaners are shaped in accordance with the anatomy of the tongue, and are optimized to lift and trap the plaque coating and effectively clean the surface of the tongue. There are many different types and designs of tongue cleaners made from plastic, metal or other materials. Most tongue cleaners can generally be described as being spoon-shaped comprising a head portion and a handle portion while having plurality of ribs at their head portion facing towards the tongue for scrubbing the tongue when in operation.
Still the problem remains that a substantial portion of the bacteria stay in the pits and fissures between the papillae of the tongue spreading malodour even after tongue cleaning with known tongue cleaners.